Rye & Battle Observer (St. Leonards-on-Sea, England) back issues from February 2008:
Foster calls halt on MP's deciding their own salaries.
Feb 01, 2008 ... Michael Foster has called for an end to MP's fixing their own salaries. The Rye MP spoke out at a debate in the House of Commons last week when he backed a resolution to pass all future decisions to an independent body, without MP interference. "It is bizarre that we ...
Live music makes a comeback at Battle Memorial Hall.
Feb 01, 2008 ... Live music gigs will be returning to the Battle Memorial Hall this month for the first time in almost two years. The hall was served with a noise abatement notice in March 2006 following complaints from a neighbour about general noise nuisance. Music promoters Mrs ...
Battle motoring misery continues.
Feb 01, 2008 ... Motorists are bracing themselves for more misery as work to replace a gas main in Battle continues. The works in the High Street (Lower Lake) will continue to cause a headache for drivers for another four weeks. Temporary parking restrictions and three-way temporary ...
Flooding in Battle High Street.
Feb 01, 2008 ... This was the scene in Battle yesterday afternoon as torrential rain flooded the High Street. Traffic slowed down to a crawl whilst pedestrians tried their best to paddle through the water without getting drenched by passing cars. The water swamped the road ...
Rye Lions raise [pounds sterling]1,000 for new hospital unit.
Feb 04, 2008 ... Rye and District Lions handed over a cheque for [pounds sterling]1,000 to Macmillan Cancer Support. The money will be used to help pay for a new unit at the Conquest Hospital for patients recovering from throat and neck cancer in providing speech therapy and how to swallow solid ...
New blood monitor makes life easier for Rye patients.
Feb 04, 2008 ... Members of Rye's Ferry Road Medical Practice are delighted with their new ambulatory blood pressure monitor. The monitor records the patient's blood pressure every hour over a 24 hour period. and can be used by them in their own homes. Rosalind Collier, ...
Battle Abbey opens doors to parents and pupils.
Feb 04, 2008 ... More than 70 families visited Battle Abbey School's open day on Saturday. Staff and pupils were on hand to show all aspects of life at the school, from the nursery and prep in Bexhill to the senior and boarding facilities in Battle. Roger Clark, headmaster of Battle ...
Photographic focus on Robertsbridge.
Feb 04, 2008 ... FOLK-US on Robertsbridge is the latest exhibition to arrive at Battle's Independent Photographers Gallery, in conjunction with Robertsbridge Arts Partnership, Rother District Council and Awards For All. From the summer of 2007, under the guidance of fine art photographer ...
Tilling Green residents fear effects of post office closure.
Feb 04, 2008 ... Tilling Green residents say they will not get the same service from Rye's main post office. Upset residents gave their reaction following last week's announcement that the popular post office is to close in March. Post Office Ltd claim residents will be able to use ...
Two thousand affected by Battle power cut.
Feb 04, 2008 ... More than 2,000 homes and businesses in Battle were left without power on Thursday. Power was cut to 2,313 properties in the High Street area of the town at 5.17pm. EDF Energy said the loss of power was caused by 'a fault on the network'. ...
Lydd Airshow cancelled this year.
Feb 04, 2008 ... This year's Lydd Airshow has been cancelled. The popular event, which attracts thousands of people, was to have been held over the weekend of June 28 and 29. But airport bosses say the event costs too much money and they have been unable to find a sponsor. ...
Concerns over state of historic Northiam pub.
Feb 05, 2008 ... Action is being taken to prevent an historic Northiam pub from falling into disrepair. The Grade II listed 17th century Crown and Thistle has been closed for two years and there is growing concern that its condition is deteriorating. Planners at Rother District ...
New green standard could make your home 'non-decent'.
Feb 05, 2008 ... MORE than a third of the privately-owned homes in Rother could be classed as unfit - principally because they do not meet new heating and thermal insulation standards. The shock figures are thrown into relief by rocketing increases in home heating energy costs. The ...
Shopper injured by trolley in Rye supermarket.
Feb 05, 2008 ... A Rye woman had to be taken to hospital by ambulance after being hit by a warehouse trolley at Budgens. Editha Courtney Bennett, 78, from North Salts, suffered deep gashes to both legs after being hit from behind, while shopping last week. Luckily there happened to be ...
Wind farm hands over money to local good causes.
Feb 05, 2008 ... GOOD causes in the Rye area are in line to benefit from a wind-fall from the controversial Camber wind farm. The wind farm, at Little Cheyne Court, won planning permission following a national inquiry, despite strong local opposition. Following the meeting of the ...
Charity worker caught drink driving.
Feb 05, 2008 ... A father was caught drink driving while travelling home late at night. Daniel Pain, 20, of Main Road, Icklesham, near Winchelsea, was pulled over by police who saw his car being driven erratically. Prosecutor Peter Bolwell said: "The defendant was driving his Rover ...
Dog savages sheep at Udimore.
Feb 05, 2008 ... Eleven sheep are dead after a dog went on the rampage at Udimore. Farmer Keith Dean suffered attacks on his sheep two days running on Monday and Tuesday. Sheep were driven into a ditch and either died or had to be destroyed. Mr Dean farms in the Brede ...
Abbey visitor improvements one year old.
Feb 05, 2008 ... Visitor improvements installed by English Heritage at Battle Abbey and the Battle of Hastings battlefield will be one year old on Saturday(February 9). To mark the anniversary, chefs at the abbey's new cafe have baked a special cake with a Norman theme. A slice will ...
Crime in brief.
Feb 05, 2008 ... Two drills and pressure washers were stolen in a burglary on a building site in Caldbec Hill in Battle on January 31 between 4.50pm on January 30 and 7.30am on February 1. Serial 284 of February 1. WOULD-be burglars tried to break into a house in Hoppers Croft Lane ...
New dog control orders in place from May 1.
Feb 05, 2008 ... Dog owners in Battle will now need to keep a close eye on where their pets do their business or face a fine. Bosses at Rother District Council on Monday gave the green light to new Dog Control Orders at their meeting in Bexhill. This means from May 1 dog owners will ...
New exhibition at Rye Art Gallery.
Feb 06, 2008 ... A neww exhibition at Rye Art Gallery aims to evoke the joys of spring. Come Gentle Spring is a mixed exhibition of work by regular artists and those new to the gallery. Among other planned exhibitions this year is a textiles ...
Battle cadets proud to represent Sussex.
Feb 06, 2008 ... Air cadets from 304 (Battle) Detached Flight represented Sussex at the Annual Parade and Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication at St Clement Danes in London, on the 67th birthday of the Air Training Corps. With pristine uniforms and shoes highly polished, they marched down the ...
Rye celebrates harvest of the sea with Scallop Festival.
Feb 06, 2008 ... The Rye Bay Scallop Festival is looking certain to be a great success this year. Accommodation in Rye is already getting booked up by people who are planning on coming to the town for the week-long festival, which starts on Friday February 15. Rye scallops are prized ...
Pancake fun at Battle and Langton.
Feb 06, 2008 ... Full tummies equalled happy faces at Battle and Langton School as reception children enjoyed sampling a range of yummy pancake toppings. The manager of Jempsons, in Battle, visited the school and donated ...
Historic sailing films to be shown at Rye.
Feb 06, 2008 ... Rye Harbour Sailing Club is holding an Archive Film Night on Saturday February 16, It takes place at Rye Community Centre, Conduit Hill, and features black and white films from the 1930s of one of the last great grain races back from Australia via Cape Horn and island trading in ...
Woman convicted of people smuggling loses appeal.
Feb 06, 2008 ... A woman convicted of smuggling immigrants into the country through Rye Harbour argued her trial was unfair. Julija Megne, 31, of Hounslow, Middlesex, was absent for large parts of her Maidstone Crown Court trial because she was working at several cleaning jobs to pay her rent ...
Funding grant for Rye tourism guide slashed.
Feb 06, 2008 ... Rother Council has been accused of getting tourism on the cheap after cutting the budget for The Rye Guide There is anger in Rye after Rother's Cabinet decided to slash [pounds sterling]1,000 from its grant to produce the annual Rye tourism guide. The latest cut ...
New dog control laws for Rye.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Dog control laws passed this week for Rye are not the hammer blow owners feared. There were concerns that Rye would become a completely no-go area for dogs when the original proposals for controls were discussed last year. They were slammed as draconian by many dog ...
Icklesham pancake fun.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Icklesham residents celebrated Shrove Tuesday with pancakes in the Memorial Hall this week. The popular annual event, which included wine, ...
Icy conditions cause Etchingham crash.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Two cars fell victim to the early morning icy weather at Etchingham today (Wednesday). The Landrover and Mini collided at Willards Hill in the village just before 7.50am. No-one was trapped ...
Angry Battle father demands work on danger footpath.
Feb 07, 2008 ... A father has called for the council to resurface a popular public footpath after several children and pensioners injured themselves falling over the uneven surface. John Wait says part of the path in Battle is in poor condition and looks like a 'riverbed'. The path, ...
Farmworker John retires after half a century of service.
Feb 07, 2008 ... A farmworker has bid farewell to his employers, after 50 years loyal service. John Cook, 65, started work as a stockman at Woodlands Farm at Catsfield after leaving school at the tender age of 15. He used to look after the pigs and cows, later replaced by chickens, ...
Guide gaff leaves Battle red-faced.
Feb 08, 2008 ... IT WAS the greatest battle ever fought on British soil. The bloody clash between King Harold and William the Conqueror in 1066 changed the course of British history and was responsible for the birth of Battle. But a map company producing a new guide for the town ...
Great news for Thomas Peacocke.
Feb 08, 2008 ... Rye's Thomas Peacocke College is celebrating this week after being awarded Specialist status for The Arts. The college will get a [pounds sterling]100,000 grant to create a new performing arts facility as well as unlocking Government funding of [pounds sterling]80,000 a year for ...
Special beer brewed for Rye Scallop Festival.
Feb 08, 2008 ... Kent brewers Shepherd Neame are creating a special beer for Rye Scallop Festival. The limited edition stout is brewed using scallops as a key ingredient. Original Rye Scallop Stout will bon sale in the topwn when the Festival gets underway this weekend. ...
Beach rubbish at Pett Level endangers wildlife.
Feb 08, 2008 ... A team of volunteers collected 20 kilos of rubbish from the beacg at Pett Level. Andy Dinsdale, fom The Marine Conservation Society said: "They were able to clear the longest stretch of beach yet. "All the rubbish collected was also carefully recorded so that the ...
Peasmarsh eyesore must be repainted say planners.
Feb 08, 2008 ... A bright orange shipping container on Peasmarsh recreation ground must be re-painted say planners. Peasmarsh Parish Council is seeking planning permission for the steel container, which is used to store sports equipment that cannot be accommodated in the pavilion building. ...
Watch out for quad bike thieves.
Feb 08, 2008 ... Quad bike owners are being warned to look after their machines following a spate of thefts in Rother. Police are encouraging owners of the bikes not to leave them on their land, making them easy to spot and be stolen by offenders. One of the latest thefts took place ...
Rye man accused of causing Sally Lofill's death.
Feb 11, 2008 ... A Rye motorist has appeared in court accused of causing a cyclist's death by dangerous driving in the town. Simon Watts, 24, is alleged to have killed Sally Lofill who died after her electrically-assisted pedal cycle was in collision with a Mercedes car in Rye. The ...
Rye Bonfire Boys help unveil Parliament plaque to Guy Fawkes.
Feb 11, 2008 ... Rye Bonfire society members travelled to the Houses of Parliament to unveil a plaque commemorating the spot where Guy Fawkes stacked his barrels of gunpowder. They were joined by members of the neighbouring Hastings Society at the invite of MP Michael Foster. The ...
Care home fundraisers present cheque to Hastings Alzheimers Society.
Feb 11, 2008 ... A plucky team of fundraisers from Dudwell St Mary Care Home in Burwash handed over a cheque to the Hastings Alzheimers Society. In September last year, the team entered into the tenth annual Funraisers Dragon Boat Festival at Bewl Water Reservoir as part of it's fundraising ...
Chinese dragon at Northiam.
Feb 11, 2008 ... Pupils from Northiam Primary School and Frewen College joined together to make a colourful Chinese dragon last week. The two schools were running a Chinese Week to coincide with the Chinese New Year. Northiam Primary head Jill Thewliss said: "It was good for ...
Rye teacher remembered.
Feb 11, 2008 ... Popular Rye teacher Bob Huxstep has died aged 86. Bob was a teacher at Rye Secondary Modern School and went on to become deputy head at Thomas Peacocke Lower School. He also had a distinguished war-time service with the RAF as a navigator. Bob was born ...
Step back in time for Mothers Day treat in Battle.
Feb 11, 2008 ... Mums can enjoy a Mothers Day treat on Sunday March 2 at Yesterday's World by experiencing a magical journey back in time, from the reign of Queen Victoria to the 1970s. Yesterday's World, one of the south east's most popular family attractions, is giving free entry to all mums ...
Police welcome new report on breaucracy.
Feb 11, 2008 ... Sussex Police have welcomed a report calling for a reduction in the amount of time officers spend complying with over-complicated procedures. Sir Ronnie Flanagan's Review of Policing, published last week, also discusses potential future arrangements for local accountability of ...
Sharp fall in sexual assaults.
Feb 11, 2008 ... Figures just out show a significant reduction in sexual offences reported over the Christmas season say police. Compared to previous years, they show a sharp fall in the report of rapes and sexual assaults during a period of time which usually sees a spike in these type of ...
Could your village be Sussex Village of the Year?
Feb 11, 2008 ... THE hunt is on to find the Sussex Village of the Year. And communities in the Rye and Battle area are being urged to take part and compete for a [pounds sterling]1,000 prize. Competition organiser, Action in rural Sussex, is encouraging entries from every village and ...
Rye MP calls for clamp down on dangerous dogs.
Feb 11, 2008 ... RYE MP Michael Foster has recently added his name to a Parliamentary motion calling for greater controls on dangerous dogs. He said: "Every year people are hurt by dangerous dogs and it is totally unnecessary that this should happen. There should be stronger powers to order the ...
Beware of dodgy duo in Ninfield.
Feb 11, 2008 ... Police are warning residents to look out for a couple of suspicious-looking characters in Ninfield. Two men were seen 'casing' empty properties in the village last week and people are being warned to be on alert. Officers say they believe the men could be touting for ...
Youth Council visit Parliament.
Feb 11, 2008 ... The newly elected local Youth Council were special guests of Rye MP Michael Foster in the Houses of Parliament. After a comprehensive tour of the Houses of Parliament, visiting both the Commons and the Lords, and lunch in Westminster Hall, the Youth Council members joined in a ...
Beware dodgy duo in Ninfield.
Feb 11, 2008 ... Police are warning residents to look out for a couple of suspicious-looking characters in Ninfield. Two men were seen 'casing' empty properties in the village last week and people are being warned to be on alert. Officers say they believe the men could be touting for ...
Playden Primary team up with Rye business.
Feb 12, 2008 ... St Michael's Primary School at Playden has a smart new football kit after forging links with a Rye business. The school linked up with Rye Retreat to help raise money for the 2007 Aveda Earth Month Programme, which helps to make clean water a ...
Rare chance to hear top organist play Rye's Wurlitzer.
Feb 12, 2008 ... The Friends of Rye Wurlitzer have launched their concert season. Chairman Richard Moore said: "We start as we mean to go on at Thomas Peacocke Community College on Sunday when Robert Wolfe gives a recital. "We have consistently booked the UK's top organists for the ...
First anniversary for Battle Abbey visitor centre.
Feb 12, 2008 ... Battle Abbey was bustling as people gathered to celebrate the first anniversary of the visitor centre. The celebration has been hailed a huge success and saw Battle Abbey enjoy it's busiest weekend for the whole winter. The bright and warm weather was perfect for ...
Search for young sports stars for awards.
Feb 12, 2008 ... The search has begun for the young sporting stars of East Sussex. East Sussex County Council has invited nominations from Battle and Rye for a Sports Development Award under a scheme which recognises and celebrates the achievements of young people in sport. Under the ...
PLayden W.I. celebrates 90 years.
Feb 12, 2008 ... Members of PLayden W.I. celebrated the organisation's 90th birthday on Monday. They enjoyed a talk by former Hastings librarian Brion Purdey on Sussex Customs and Sayings before sitting down to a tea and birthday cake. Club President Amy Breeds said: "It was very ...
Improvements on the way for Northiam.
Feb 12, 2008 ... Plans are underway to improve village life in Northiam. Northiam Parish Council and Northiam Play Association have already succeeded in winning a [pounds sterling]50,000 grant to provide children with new play equipment. And more good news followed with news that an ...
Rye Council round-up.
Feb 12, 2008 ... Here are some of the issues that have been discussed by Rye Town Council recently. RYE Town Council has agreed to contribute [pounds sterling]100 a year toward the running costs of the Rye Local Action Team. The group meets to discuss issues affecting the town such as ...
Peasmarsh to get new skate park.
Feb 12, 2008 ... Youngsters at Peasmarsh are to get a new skate park this year. The facility is being built thanks to a [pounds sterling]200,000 Big Lottery Fund grant secured by Rother District Council. The grant is also paying for new play equipment at Northiam and will help finance ...
Clever Crowhurst head wins [pounds sterling]500 top prize for school.
Feb 12, 2008 ... Children at Crowhurst will get the chance to exercise their little grey cells whilst having fun using the school's new computer software. Educational quizzes and games to reinforce learning, form part of the [pounds sterling]500 package of programmes. And pupils ...
Professional writers to help aspiring wordsmiths for All Rather Rother.(Obituary)
Feb 12, 2008 ... All Rather Rother is a writing competition set up by Rother District Council in association with East Sussex Art Partnership to encourage aspiring wordsmiths to celebrate sense of place in Rother district by putting it into words. Organisers are looking for Rother residents to ...
Honesty pays for Crowhurst pupils.
Feb 12, 2008 ... Two Crowhurst pupils, who handed a stolen bag they found dumped in the village into the police, have been rewarded for their honesty. The children found the holdall, containing money and football equipment, dumped at the side of the road, near Swainham Lane. The bag, ...
Move to secure future of Rye's fishing fleet.
Feb 12, 2008 ... Rye's fishing industry could be line for a [pounds sterling]20,000 boost. Rother District Council's Cabinet will be considering a recommendation of granting the money when it meets on Monday evening. Rye Partnership is currently involved in plans to refurbish the ...
Rye MP calls for tighter controls on dangerous dogs.
Feb 13, 2008 ... Rye MP Michael Foster has recently added his name to a Parliamentary motion calling for greater controls on dangerous dogs. He said: "Every year people are hurt by dangerous dogs and it is totally unnecessary that this should happen. There should be stronger powers to order the ...
Two big public meetings in Rye next week.
Feb 13, 2008 ... Rye residents will be able to have their say when two public meetings take place in the town next week. Rye Partnership holds an open meeting on Thursday February 22 at Thomas Peacocke Community College, from 6.30pm. Everyone is welcome to hear what the Partnership ...